Top 25 talk

[David Collinge]

They'd be a TALL NCAC team, but I don't know about 'huge.'  6'7"/200 doesn't make me think 'huge' so much as 'stick figure', and 6'8"/220 isn't a whole lot thicker. 

Here's Wittenberg's starting 5:
G Pat Denbow (6'0"/155 Jr.)
G Phil Steffes (6'1"/190 Sr.)
W Kenny Brady (6'4"/205 Sr.)
W Dane Borchers (6'8"/215 Sr.)
P Daniel Russ (6'9"/210 Sr.)

I think Russ and Brady are actually a little beefier than that.  Granted, Witt is the biggest team in the NCAC and probably among the biggest D3 teams in the country, and (except for that 2-guard) they're about the same size/weight at the Princeton Tigers.

[smedindy]

Well, I was think more on the line of the Denisons, Earlhams and Wabash's of the NCAC, which I think is more in line with the norm of D-3. Of course, Witt being Witt they have to put their players on the rack to make them taller, right?? 

6'5 - 230 is a big boy, though.

[Greek Tragedy]

They'd be a TALL NCAC team, but I don't know about 'huge.'  6'7"/200 doesn't make me think 'huge' so much as 'stick figure', and 6'8"/220 isn't a whole lot thicker.

Here's Wittenberg's starting 5:
G Pat Denbow (6'0"/155 Jr.)
G Phil Steffes (6'1"/190 Sr.)
W Kenny Brady (6'4"/205 Sr.)
W Dane Borchers (6'8"/215 Sr.)
P Daniel Russ (6'9"/210 Sr.)

I think Russ and Brady are actually a little beefier than that.  Granted, Witt is the biggest team in the NCAC and probably among the biggest D3 teams in the country, and (except for that 2-guard) they're about the same size/weight at the Princeton Tigers.

Yet you list a 6'9 210 lbs. guy! lol

Princeton is huge compared to Stevens Point

G-Hicklin 6-4, 180
G-Rortveldt 6-5, 170
F-Krull 6-4, 225
F-Bauer 6-5, 232
F-Grusczynski 6-5, 192

We're beefy, but not tall.  In fact, at La Crosse, guard Steve Hicklin did the jump ball to start the game.  Needless to say, we lost the tip. 

We also have Al-Amin, usually first off the bench at a stout 5-8, 135

[hugenerd]

I don't know if you realize this, but no matter what their size, conference or what you may perceive of Princeton basketball, the fact remains they are still a division I team that has had 19 consecutive winning seasons (you can check their 2005-06 media guide on page 4).  I don't know of many schools that have had that many winning seasons in a row in any conference or division.  Also, I know that they may not be in the strongest conference, but they play some tough out of conference opponents like Wake Forest and Stanford in the coming weeks.  They may be having an off couple games or may not be as strong this year as in the past, but they get quality basketball players and with that many winning seasons in a row, they must be doing something right.  I wouldn't throw them into the middle of the pack in DIII quite yet.

[Greek Tragedy]

Not big at all for D1 standards and very inexperienced.

I beg to differ.  Seems like guys are leaving after their sophomore years all the time now...maybe some of those Ivy Leaguers are making themselves eligible for early entry into...those law firms!  

[Greek Tragedy]

I think our comparisons, at least mine, are a little tongue-in-cheek and just comparing "sizes".  Dick Bennett's Badgers averaged in the 50s and did just fine in the Big 10. 

[Mr. Ypsi]

What I'd really like to see is a Princeton/Grinnell matchup.

I've been advocating that match-up on another board ("Who's running the Grinnell system"?), but we have to channel Pete Carrill's Princeton teams!  No substitutes allowed for the ultimate 'system/anti-system' showdown!

21 IS amazing - you usually see that only in an overmatched hs girls' bb score!  And a BLOWOUT win by scoring 41...?!

[David Collinge]

They'd be a TALL NCAC team, but I don't know about 'huge.'  6'7"/200 doesn't make me think 'huge' so much as 'stick figure', and 6'8"/220 isn't a whole lot thicker.

Here's Wittenberg's starting 5:
G Pat Denbow (6'0"/155 Jr.)
G Phil Steffes (6'1"/190 Sr.)
W Kenny Brady (6'4"/205 Sr.)
W Dane Borchers (6'8"/215 Sr.)
P Daniel Russ (6'9"/210 Sr.)

I think Russ and Brady are actually a little beefier than that.  Granted, Witt is the biggest team in the NCAC and probably among the biggest D3 teams in the country, and (except for that 2-guard) they're about the same size/weight at the Princeton Tigers. [emphasis added]

Yet you list a 6'9 210 lbs. guy! lol

Yes, I think 6'8"/220 and 6'9"/210 are pretty comparable. 

[smedindy]

I'm all for old school hoops and trying to hold teams under 50 or so. Some called Dick Bennett's teams blah - I loved watching them set screens, move without the ball and play defense first and foremost.

BTW - There's a boys team here in Indiana - Cannelton - that just lost 88-14 to Washington Catholic.

http://www.washtimesherald.com/sports/local_story_346132531.html

[gordonmann]

Go CMU.

Princeton = evil.

Signed, Penn Student

[Titan Q]

Heights/weights can definitely be deceptive.  Illinois Wesleyan starts...

G Adam Dauksas (6-3/190, Sr)
G Jason Fisher (6-2/210, Sr)
F Keelan Amelianovich (6-6/210, Sr)
F Cory Jones (6-6/215, Sr)
C Zach Freeman (6-7/210, Jr)

I am not sure if that looks like a "huge" D3 team on paper, but the 2005-06 Titans are by far the "biggest" IWU team I have ever seen.  They're all upperclassmen and they've hit the weight room hard since their freshman year...something IWU teams under Dennie Bridges really did not do.  IWU is also extremely athletic at just about every spot.

Last Saturday IWU faced the following Wash U lineup...

G Neal Griffin (5-10/145, Jr)
G Scott Stone (6-1/155, Sr)
F Tyler Nading (6-6/195, Fr)
F Troy Ruths (6-6/225, So)
C Mike Grunst (7-0/225, Sr)

On paper it would appear IWU was "smaller" in the post, but the Titans completely manhandled Wash U physically and athletically.  IWU out-rebounded the Bears by 20...

http://www.iwu.edu/~iwunews/sports/mbb2006/miwu6.htm

And against Illinois, the Titans (playing without starting forward Cory Jones) were giving up 3 & 4 inches at each spot in the frontcourt, but they did not get pushed around much in that game.  It was actually 6-3/175 freshman 2-guard Jamar Smith that got the Illini on track by hitting a number of 3's when IWU had the game tied at 41 with 14:00 to play. 

http://www.iwuhoops.com/ILLINI.HTM


So, since I started the discussion topic I will be the first to concede that the roster really doesn't indicate how "big" a team is.  Hanover is a great example...some of the "biggest" 6-4 kids you'll ever see.

[David Collinge]

Good point.  Dan Russ (6'9"/210) definitely plays bigger than Dane Borchers (6'8"/215) because he's more muscular.  Both of them play "bigger" than UW-Stout's Nonemacher twins, who go 7'0"/255 (Jacob) and 7'0"/240 (John), both of whom look a little like exclamation points.

[bouttime]

If a Division III team is going to beat a Division I team, Princeton is a good place to start.

A little while ago the Tigers had the lowest scoring DI offense in the country.  They are currently averaging just 49.3 ppg.

Princeton is going to have to either figure out a way to put more points on the board or figure out a way to stop CMU's 91.6 points per game. This might be as close as the "system/anti-system" game that Mr. Ypsi wanted.

[Greek Tragedy]

So, since I started the discussion topic I will be the first to concede that the roster really doesn't indicate how "big" a team is.  Hanover is a great example...some of the "biggest" 6-4 kids you'll ever see.

And of course, sometimes it does.  I remember the two years Stevens Point went out east for the Final Four and their opponents really were outmatched "size-wise."  I specificially remember the announcers talking about how All-Americans Ben Coffin (2004, Williams)) and Seth Hauben (2005, Rochester), among others, really hadn't seen anything like Point's size and had their problems.

When Point had their big lineup in, and used zone, opponents were looking at:

Eric Maus 6'9"/219
Jason Kalsow 6'7"/229
Kyle Grusczynski 6'6"/203
Nick Bennett 6'5"/194
Jon Krull 6'4"/230 or Brian Bauer 6'5"/245

This was with Jason Kalsow playing point-forward. 

Seth Hauben was 2/5 for 8 points and 8 rebounds
Ben Coffin was 5/13 for 10 points and 6 rebounds

[Lefty]

I don't know if you realize this, but no matter what their size, conference or what you may perceive of Princeton basketball, the fact remains they are still a division I team that has had 19 consecutive winning seasons (you can check their 2005-06 media guide on page 4).  I don't know of many schools that have had that many winning seasons in a row in any conference or division.

New Jersey City University has a streak of 29 straight winning seasons.